Vettel off to promising start in Hungarian GP

After failing to get the top results they hoped for in Germany last weekend,
both Red Bull Racing drivers have made a promising start and lead the way in
Formula One's Friday practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend ...

After failing to get the top results they hoped for in Germany last weekend,
both Red Bull Racing drivers have made a promising start and lead the way in
Formula One's Friday practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend in
Budapest.

During this morning's first practice, it was Sebastian Vettel who set the
pace, ahead of the rest of the field. He managed to set a lap time of
1.20.087s, which Ferrari's Fernando Alonso attempted to edge closer in
second practice. However, Vettel was the man on form, who left his rivals
far behind him on track.

"I think this morning didn't really give a clear picture of each team's
pace, but this afternoon it was tighter," said Vettel. "The Ferraris
seem very quick again here, on both the long and short runs. They will
be quick again tomorrow and we also shouldn't forget the McLarens; they
have proven many times this year that they can make a step forward from
Friday to Saturday. It's a difficult track here, quite bumpy and rough,
but the car feels good."

His Australian team mate Mark Webber, was held up in traffic which is not
the first time this season. In last weekend's qualifying for the German GP,
Webber failed to set a hot lap due to other cars in his way. As a result it
was a Red Bull sandwich, with Alonso in the middle taking second position,
and his Brazilian team mate, Felipe Massa, made it into fourth place.

Current Drivers' and Constructors' Championship leaders, McLaren were still
struggling to find the pace, despite new upgrades to their cars. Lewis
Hamilton pipped team mate Jenson Button in practice overall, with a sixth
place result and Button, achieving ninth, ahead of Mercedes driver, Michael
Schumacher.

There were also a few surprising top runners in practice, especially those
who are midfield runners at present. The Renault team impressed, with
Vitaly Petrov securing fifth place, and team mate Robert Kubica, not too far
behind in seventh.

Elsewhere in the field there were mini battles, between smaller teams and
their drivers. Despite his good form of late in qualifying and races,
Rubens Barrichello managed twelfth position, and was out performed by team
mate Nico Hulkenberg, who grabbed 8th place and made it into the top ten.

Force India's bad run continued, and in today's practice Adrian Sutil's car
suffered with mechanical problems, leaving him with very little time to
take to the track. This left him in a disappointing sixteenth position.
His Italian team mate, Vitantonio Liuzzi did not have much luck either, and
finished practice down in eighteenth place.

Of the new teams in Formula One, it was Jarno Trulli for Lotus who achieved
19th place at the end of practice. His Finnish team mate Heikki
Kovalainen, also had problems with his car like Sutil. Kovalainen
was at the opposite end of the field to the leader Vettel, and finished
last in 24th position.

When tomorrow's qualifying gets under way, the focus will particularly be
on the front runners, Red Bull and Ferrari, as they fight for pole, and to
take the first row of the grid for the race on Sunday.